What does weekender mean?
Weekender most often means a person who spends a weekend away from their usual home, typically for a short trip or social visit. The word is especially common in British English, where it can refer to someone who makes such trips regularly or to a guest who arrives for the weekend. In North American English, and also in British usage, “weekender” can name the bag or case in which clothing and other essentials are carried for an overnight or weekend trip. A “weekend bag” and a “weekender bag” therefore refer to a practical piece of travel luggage rather than to the traveler. The word is informal but established, and it carries a mild suggestion of leisure, convenience, and a limited period away from everyday routines. It is useful in conversation and travel writing because it can refer both to the person taking a short getaway and to the luggage associated with one.
nounA person who spends a weekend away from their usual home, especially as part of a regular or social visit. It can also mean a bag or case used for clothing and other essentials on a weekend trip.
- A person who spends a weekend away from their usual home or workplace, often as a regular visitor or guest.
- A bag, holdall, or case used to carry clothing and other essentials for a weekend trip.
"The seaside café was full of weekenders relaxing before the Monday commute."
"Several weekenders arrive at the inn every Friday afternoon."
"She packed her essentials into a compact weekender before heading to the coast."
The plural is used for multiple people who make weekend trips or visit for the weekend.
"The town is especially busy with weekenders on Saturdays and Sundays."
A weekender can be either the person taking a getaway or the bag that makes the getaway possible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of weekender
Weekender was formed in English from “week,” “end,” and the agentive suffix “-er,” originally denoting someone who spent the weekend away from home. Its base noun “weekend” combines the English word for a week with “end,” while related forms such as “weekly,” “weekday,” and “midweek” continue the same Germanic source for “week.” The later sense for a weekend travel bag developed by extension from the travel undertaken by such a person.
Related word forms
How weekender is actually used
In British English, the word most commonly denotes a person who spends a weekend away from home. In North American English it is also well established for a weekend travel bag, and that sense is also used in Britain. The term is informal but conventional in travel, social, and weekend-leisure contexts.
Easily confused with weekender
A weekend is the Saturday and Sunday period, whereas a weekender is a person making a short weekend trip or a bag used for one.